Shoe-lacing hook.



No. 799,044. PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905. H. J. GRISWOLD.

SHOE LACING HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED Dmms. 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE-LACING HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed December 28,1904. Serial No. 238,629.

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Be it known that l, HARRY J. Gniswonn, a citizen of the United States,residing' at Eureka, in the county of Humboldt and State of California,have invented a new and useful Shoe-Lacing Hook, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to shoe-lacing' hooks.

The object of the invention is to provide a shoe-lacing hook which shallbe simple of construction, easily manufactured, and readily applied toposition and in which any catching of the garments thereon willpositively be obviated; furthermore, to dispose the hooks upon ashoe-upper in such manner as to reduce the strain necessary to draw thelacing' taut to a minimum and at the same time relieve the lacing' ofundue attrition and wear.

Yith the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts of a shoe-lacing hook, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts,there are illustrated two forms of embodiment of the invention, eachcapable of carrying the same into practical operation.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view in elevation of a portion of ashoe-upper, exhibiting the same equipped with the lacing-hook of thisinvention. Fig. Q is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 22,Fig. l, with the lacing' omitted. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail viewof the lacing-hook. Fig. @L is a similar view of a slightly-modifiedform of hook.

Referring to the drawings, U designates the shoe-upper, and L thelacing', and as these parts may be of the usual or any preferredconstruction detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

The improvement is herein exhibited as applied to a womans shoe; but itis to be understood that it is as equally adaptable to mens shoes, aswill be apparent. Illustration ofsuch adaptation is omitted.

The present invention resides in an eyelet l and a lacing-hook 2combined therewith. The eyelet maybe of any preferred construction andis provided with a cross-bar3, which may be either integral with or bemade as a separate element and secured thereto. The hook Q isconstructed from a piece of wire bent upon itself and having oneterminal underturned to form a lace-engaging bill 4 and its otherterminal formed into eyes 5, which engage the bar As shown in Fig. l,the bill members are preferably bent or deflected laterally at 6, thisfor the purpose of g'iving an extended bearing for the lacing, and thebill projects slightly beyond the inner edge a of the upper, so thatthere will be no possibility of a garment catching thereon.

In positioning the lacing-hooks upon the upper the hooks proper aredisposed on an upward-inclined ang'le, thereby causing' the lacing' whendrawn taut to present a line slightly deviating from a straight one, or,in other words, a line composed of a series of long and wide angles asdistinguished from the sharp, angular, and pronounced zigzag linepresented by the lacing when the hooks are located some distance fromthe edges of the upper, thereby reducing attrition and wearof the lacingand allowing it to be drawn taut with ease and with but slight strain.

In combining the lacing' with the bills the hooks are turned at rig'htangles to their normal position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,and when thus positioned there will be no obstacle presented to the freeengagement therewith by the lacing'.

Instead of making the hook of a piece of wire, as described, the samemay be constructed of a solid piece of sheet metal 7, as shown in Fig'.4f. g

Another feature of advantage of the construction shown is the manner inwhich the cross-bar is disposed relatively to the eyelet. It will beseen that the cross-bar is arranged within the eyelet and below theplane of the upper side thereof when in position, thereby disposing' theeyes 5 below the plane of the uppcr face of the eyelet and still furtherreducing any liability of a garment becoming entangled therewith.Moreover, by thus positioning the cross-bai' the hook as a whole iscaused to lie flat upon the shoe-upper, thereby obviating thepresentation of raised siii'- faces, which would be objectionable in usefor womens wear.

It will be seen from the foregoing' description that although thelacing-hook of this invention is exceedingly simple of construction itcombines all of the essentials necessary to the production of athoroughly-citicient device. Furthermore, by having' the bills of thehooks disposed below or coincident with the plane of the inner face ofthe IOO IIO

upper all danger of a garment becoming' entangled therewith is obvated,and, further, as above pointed out, the disposition or' the lacing issuch that but slight resistance will be presented in drawing it tautproperly to adapt or tit the upper to the ankle oil the wearer.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed isf l. An articleof the class described comprising an eyelet provided with a cross-bardisposed Within its eye, and ahook having a swiveled Connection with thebar.

2. An article of the class described comprising an eyelet having a.cross-bar disposed Within its eye, and a hook having one of itsterminals looped around the bar and its other terminal formed into anunderturned beak or bill.

3. An article of the class described comprising an eyelet provided witha cross-bar disposed Within its eye, and a hook consisting of a piece ofwire bent upon itself, the free or separated ends of the hook beinglooped around the bar, and the bent portion thereof being formed intoan'underturned hook, the terminal of which is transverselyT widened.

4. The combination With a shoe-upper, of a lacing-hook comprising aneyelet secured therein and provided Within its eye With a cross-bar, anda hook having one terminal looped around the bar, and its other terminalformed into an under-turned bill which passes over the edge of theupper.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto atlixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY J. GRISWOLD.

l/Vitnesses:

EDGAR C. COOPER, GEO. T. RoLLEY.

